In the immediate wake of the tragic mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the left issued its typical demands for Congress and even the White House to “do something” to prevent future instances of similar gun violence, and initially, it seemed like President Donald Trump was on board with the effort to try and get something — anything — done.
Trump initially signaled an openness to supporting broadened, “universal” background checks for gun purchases as well as so-called “red flag” laws that allow the preemptive confiscation of firearms from potentially dangerous individuals — but it appears that openness was short-lived, as he has reportedly taken the possible expansion of background checks “off the table.”
Universal background checks “off the table”
The revelation came from The Atlantic, which cited unnamed current and former officials in both the White House and the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Despite his earlier expressions of willingness to do something with regard to universal background checks, Trump reportedly cooled on the idea after speaking with the NRA and receiving briefings on the details of multiple recent mass shooting events, none of which would have been prevented by expanded or universal background checks.
That turnabout reportedly led to another phone call with NRA president Wayne LaPierre in which Trump reportedly informed him that universal background checks were “off the table” and no longer under consideration.
“He was cementing his stance that we already have background checks and that he’s not waffling on this anymore,” an unnamed source said to have been briefed on the call explained to The Atlantic. “He doesn’t want to pursue it.”
Focus on mental health, enforcement of existing laws
Instead, the source suggested that Trump wanted to focus on getting more funding appropriated for mental health care, an issue he believes is a driving force behind mass shooting incidents and for state attorneys general and federal U.S. attorneys nationwide to make more of an effort in actually enforcing gun laws already on the books.
That thinking was seemingly expressed by Trump himself while speaking with reporters on Sunday ahead of his return to the White House from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
“People don’t realize, we have very strong background checks right now. You go in to buy a gun, you have to sign up. There are a lot of background checks that have been approved over the years, so I’ll have to see what it is,” the president said.
Cautious approach
While anything is possible, it would appear at the moment that President Trump has no appetite to further expand background checks for gun purchases that would do virtually nothing to stop mass shooters and would only infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners and prospective purchasers.
To be sure, there will likely be a renewed push on the issue once Congress returns in September from its late summer recess, and it isn’t out of the question that Trump could change his mind again and resume support for a bipartisan bill that expanded or strengthened the current background check laws.
Doing so would likely be a big risk for the president, however, as it would be unlikely to curry him much favor among the liberal media and anti-gun left and would certainly alienate a significant portion of his base of support, so we will all just have to wait and see what, if anything, happens over the next few months.
1,244 Responses
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be useful to read articles from other writers and practice something from their websites.
A round of applause for your blog.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
I truly appreciate this blog article.Thanks Again. Will read on…
Very neat post.Really thank you!
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality sites on the internet. I most certainly will highly recommend this website!
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who has been doing a little homework on this. And he actually bought me breakfast due to the fact that I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to talk about this topic here on your blog.
Too many blog owners nowadays yet very few have blog posts worth spending time on reviewing.
I’m very happy to uncover this site. I want to to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every part of it and i also have you book marked to see new things on your site.
Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written any better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I am going to send this post to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a very good read. Many thanks for sharing!
Hey, thanks for the blog article. Will read on…
Your style is really unique in comparison to other people I’ve read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this blog.
This is a topic that is close to my heart… Best wishes! Where are your contact details though?
Greetings! Very useful advice within this post! It’s the little changes which will make the most significant changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
I really love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you build this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own personal website and would love to learn where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Thanks.
I truly appreciate this blog post.Really thank you! Cool.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I really hope to view the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own site now 😉
After checking out a few of the articles on your web site, I seriously like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Take a look at my web site too and tell me your opinion.
I was able to find good advice from your blog articles.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic article. Awesome.
I appreciate, cause I found just what I was looking for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who has been conducting a little research on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner simply because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to talk about this subject here on your web site.
Really informative article.Really looking forward to read more.
Thanks-a-mundo for the blog.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
I want to to thank you for this fantastic read!! I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you saved as a favorite to look at new stuff you post…
Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this content together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile.
A round of applause for your post.Much thanks again. Great.
836687 122442Normally I do not learn post on blogs, nevertheless I would like to say that this write-up really pressured me to look at and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you, quite excellent post. 476089
I’d like to find out more? I’d like to find out more details.|
You should take part in a contest for one of the highest quality websites on the web. I’m going to recommend this website!
Very nice blog post. I absolutely appreciate this site. Keep it up!
Well I truly enjoyed reading it. This tip provided by you is very helpful for correct planning.
After exploring a number of the blog articles on your website, I honestly like your technique of blogging. I saved it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Please check out my web site too and let me know your opinion.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Well written!
A round of applause for your blog article.Much thanks again.
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Thanks for sharing!
I’m very happy to find this website. I need to to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely appreciated every little bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to check out new information on your web site.